Pilot, 21, credits Civil Air Patrol for his success

Stephen Bloemsma, with WNC Aviation, conducts a preflight inspection at Asheville Regional Airport on Wednesday. Bloemsma began participating in the Civil Air Patrol program when he was 14 and is now 21 and a licensed commercial airline pilot.

Published: Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Stephen Bloemsma, with WNC Aviation, conducts a preflight inspection at Asheville Regional Airport on Wednesday. Bloemsma began participating in the Civil Air Patrol program when he was 14 and is now 21 and a licensed commercial airline pilot.

MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS

He joined the Civil Air Patrol at 14 and took his first solo flight on his 16th birthday, before he had a driver's license. At 17, he had his private pilot's license. After earning his bachelor's degree in aeronautics and his commercial license, Bloemsma is an aviation instructor with WNC Aviation, where he has begun training pilots much like himself just a few years ago.

Bloemsma said he owes his successful start in aviation to the Civil Air Patrol, which took his interest in the skies to new heights.

"I was really interested in all of the aviation and aerospace-type things, and so it provided a great opportunity to really grow and to learn from that," Bloemsma said. "They definitely really helped me, No. 1 with further interest — I had a little bit of an interest in aviation, but they kind of directed that and gave me more of a way to experience it. ... I know I would not have been able to do everything where I am today without having that as a high-schooler."

Bloemsma did his training at the Asheville Regional Airport with the Asheville Composite Squadron, and ended up joining the squadron.

According to its website, in 1948 the Civil Air Patrol was designated as the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. It was then that three primary missions were determined for the organization: aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services.

Until cadets reach age 16, they work heavily on ground instruction, covering Federal Aviation Administration regulations and learning about things such as weight balance. They also get the chance to ride in the passenger seat and observe their instructors in flight.

Bloemsma had completed enough training that he was able to take his first solo ride on his 16th birthday — the first day he was eligible.

During a pilot's first solo flight, they must successfully take off and land three times while their instructor watches from below. Bloemsma said his first solo ride was the proudest moment in his aviation experience.

"I remember taking off and being like, 'Well, no matter what I have to land,' " Bloemsma said. "And that was a pretty big deal, especially being 16, and I didn't even have my driver's license yet."

Not long after turning 17, Bloemsma received his private pilot's license. While being home-schooled, Bloemsma got a head start on college by participating in a dual enrollment program at North Greenville University in South Carolina, which helped him to graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in three years.

By 21, Bloemsma had earned his commercial pilot's license. Before Tuesday, that license would have meant Bloemsma could have worked for a commercial airline. But a recent change in regulations instituted by the FAA, according to Bloemsma, means that he will now have to complete 1,000 additional flight hours before becoming eligible to do so.

He could, however, still be paid to take individuals for private rides.

In a news release, the FAA said the changes were made in an effort to enhance safety and provide the best-qualified and trained pilots.

One of Bloemsma's instructors with the Civil Air Patrol, Wallace Courtney, said he took Bloemsma on his first orientation flight, giving the cadet a chance to observe Courtney in action.

"That was kind of a fun and special thing for me," Courtney said. "Integrity, volunteer service, excellence, respect — those are the core values that we try to instill in our cadets, and certainly Stephen is a fine example of that."

Courtney trained Bloemsma to participate in missions earlier this year, when Bloemsma learned how to search for downed planes and provide other emergency services.

Courtney went with a group of pilots after Hurricane Sandy and was able to capture roughly 1,500 photos of the damage done. He said Bloemsma now has the training to go on similar missions.

Being an instructor presents an entirely different challenge.

"I thought I was nervous soloing when I was up doing it myself, but soloing somebody else — getting out of the airplane and saying, 'I've given them all of the training and they're good to go fly by their self — that was quite a nerve-wracking experience," Bloemsma said. "Especially, me doing it for the first time, but when they were actually able to do that and they completed that successfully, that was a very exciting and happy moment."

Ray Davis, a lieutenant colonel with Civil Air Patrol and operations officer for the Asheville Composite Squadron, said he is proud to see Bloemsma come back and become a teacher for the same squad he trained with.

"It's incredible to see cadets go through the program and come back and volunteer their time to do the same thing that we've been doing," Davis said. "He's turned from a student to teacher; he's reliable and does a consistently good job."

Reach Bindewald at renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7890.

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